A&P Spanish Cake

Here’s a recipe for the nostalgic A&P Spanish Bar Cake (sometimes called “Spanish Cake”) — a spiced, raisin‑filled cake with cream cheese frosting, originally sold by A&P / Jane Parker bakeries in the mid‑20th century. (Cuisine Genial)

📝 Ingredients

Cake batter

• 2 cups (250 g) all‑purpose flour (American Memory Lane)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda (American Memory Lane)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Just A Pinch Recipes)
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (American Memory Lane)
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves (Just A Pinch Recipes)
• ¼–½ teaspoon salt (American Memory Lane)
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar (Just A Pinch Recipes)
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil (American Memory Lane)
• 2 cups applesauce (used in some modern adaptations) (Samsung Food)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten (American Memory Lane)
• 1½ cups raisins (plumped in hot water) (Just A Pinch Recipes)
• Optional: ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts (for texture) (12 Tomatoes)

Frosting

• 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, softened (Cuisine Genial)
• ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, softened (Samsung Food)
• 2¼ cups (about 280 g) powdered sugar (Samsung Food)
• ¼ tsp fine salt (Cuisine Genial)
• 1–2 tbsp milk (if needed for spreading) (Samsung Food)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (Cuisine Genial)

🔪 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to about 325 °F (163 °C) (some sources use 350 °F) (Cookist)
2. Plump raisins: In a saucepan, bring water (or just use hot water) and the raisins to a gentle boil, cook ~10 minutes, drain and set aside. (12 Tomatoes)
3. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
4. Add oil, applesauce (if using), eggs, and the drained raisins (and walnuts if using). Mix until just combined. (Willow Bird Baking)
5. Pour batter into a greased and/or parchment‑lined 9×13 inch (or similar) pan. Bake for ~30‑40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. (Cuisine Genial)
6. Cool completely before frosting.
7. Make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk (if needed) until desired spreadable consistency. (Samsung Food)
8. Frost the cooled cake. For a more authentic bar‑style look, you can slice the cake horizontally into layers, spread frosting between layers and on top, and create fork‑grooves in the frosting top. (Cuisine Genial)
9. Chill if desired so the frosting sets and flavours meld.
10. Slice into bars and serve.

✅ Tips & Notes

• The original “Spanish Bar” cake is actually a spice cake with raisins, not anything specifically Spanish. (American Memory Lane)
• The raisins add moisture and sweet bursts; some older recipes call for boiling them in water.
• Some modern versions use applesauce for moistness and a lighter texture.
• If you want extra richness, you can substitute part of oil with butter, or add more nuts.
• This cake keeps well — because of the spices and moist raisins, flavour improves after a day.
• Adjust spice amounts to taste — if you like stronger nutmeg or cloves, you can raise slightly.

If you like, I can send you a printable recipe card for the A&P Spanish Bar Cake and step‑by‑step photos to help you bake it. Would you like that?